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An editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal says hospitals should think twice about using lotteries for fundraising.

Dr. Robert Bell is the president and CEO of University Health Network, which includes Toronto General, Toronto Western and Princess Margaret hospitals. He says the province allows hospital lotteries such as Princess Margaret Home Lottery because they are seen as a good way to fund new research.
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Hospitals should think twice about using lotteries for fundraising, because it puts those vulnerable to gambling at risk, says an editorial published Tuesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

“It is contradictory for legislation to ban hospitals from selling one potentially harmful, but legal, addictive product on their premises — tobacco — while allowing them to actively promote another — lotteries,” CMAJ editor-in-chief Dr. John Fletcher wrote in the editorial.

Fletcher calls for spending caps, abolishing bulk ticket discounts and implementing other measures, such as introducing warning statements on lottery websites to protect vulnerable people who have a problem gambling addiction.

Fletcher came up with the idea for the editorial after he realized hospital lotteries hadn’t been thought of as a health issue.

“Hospitals are institutions that we trust to look after us when we’re sick and vulnerable and gambling puts vulnerable people at greater risk,” he says, adding that he hopes his editorial provokes people to think about that contradiction.

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Gambling in Canada is legislated by provincial and territorial governments.

According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, up to 3.4 per cent of Ontarians are affected by moderate to severe problem gambling. Fletcher says that should be enough for health care institutions to think twice about using lotteries as a fundraising measure, especially since most tickets cost around $100, he says.

Thomas Klassan, a professor at York University and wrote the book, Casino State: Legalized Gambling in Canada, agrees with Fletcher’s opinion in the editorial.

“I see hospital lotteries as a problem and a contradiction,” he says.

“On one hand we expect our government and hospitals to take care of us, on the other hand, the government and these hospitals and foundations are encouraging us to take part in what could be a dangerous activity for a certain vulnerable group of people in society.” he says.

However, Dr. Robert Bell has seen the benefits that come from these lotteries and believes they outweigh any concerns.

Bell is CEO and president of the University Health Network that comprises of four hospitals including the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, which has one of the most successful lotteries in the province, the Princess Margaret Lotto. giving away homes, vacations and vehicles,

He says lottery fundraising follows the regulations laid out by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and the money is used to fund new cancer drugs, clinical trials, and researcher’s salaries.

“The province allows lotteries like this to exist because the government has assessed the risks and says this is a good way to bring more funding to good causes,” he says.

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